


Short-Lived Butterflies

by daintyblues



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie Andrews Being an Idiot, Cheerleader Betty Cooper, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, High School, Jealous Archie Andrews, Milkshakes, Riverdale (TV) Season 1, Romantic Comedy, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, bughead - Freeform, fast-paced
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:28:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26414170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daintyblues/pseuds/daintyblues
Summary: -- post season 1x01, riverdale.Feeling like a broken record, Betty Cooper still has Archie's rejecting words on her mind around the clock. The only thing that seemed to shake up her thoughts was a certain smirking serpent, Jughead Jones.After not talking to her for a year, he had whisked up with a plan that was as ridiculous as it sounded.Not taking no for an answer, he'd made it impossible for her to deny him.What was the harm anyway? Jealousy was a powerful emotion, and seeing it on Archie's face filled her with satisfaction.Still, since when had Jughead's touch became so elating?So.. intoxicating?
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 5
Kudos: 56





	Short-Lived Butterflies

**Author's Note:**

> GUESS WHO HAS INSPIRATION TO WRITE ANOTHER BUGHEAD ONESHOT? THIS WOMAN RIGHT HERE!
> 
> also guess who is now an official bugbarchie account? this bitch! yasssss.
> 
> anyway this is something that came to mind during class (lmao???) and i needed to write it!!
> 
> also really liked the ending so i hope u guys do too.
> 
> a lil bit of angst for ya babes in the end.
> 
> <3
> 
> mwah pls enjoy.
> 
> (fast paced c: )
> 
> ━━━༻❁༺━━━

_“I can’t give you the answer that you want.”_

Of course he couldn’t. Archie Andrews, the town’s golden boy, that deep down, she’d been so sure liked her back had rejected her so awfully. She’d been cooped up in her room, clutching her pastel pillow so tightly it was a surprise the stuffing didn’t pop out of the stitches. 

The announcement itself— of Archie telling her that he wasn’t _worthy_ of dating her sent her into more pieces than she’d been in before. Was that his feeble excuse? Did he pity her? That was an act of sympathy if she’d seen one. What right did he have to sympathize her when he’d turned her down after leading her on for years?

Years. They’d been friends for years, her silent pining for the redheaded boy always obvious to anyone but the athlete himself. It’d been ridiculous how much she looked up to him, practically cherished the earth he walked on. 

Stuffing her face into her pillow, she felt embarrassment flood her body for the hundredth time of the night. She’d deny it to anyone that asked, but Elizabeth Cooper truly believed that Archie Andrews would fulfill her fantasy.

Riverdale’s golden couple.

Looking back on the idea she’d perfected for long, it seemed flimsy and silly. Especially to Archie, she’d learned not too long ago. How could she have been so painfully naive? Betty had been going after the redhead for the longest time, and here she was, crying into her pillow because she could barely stand the fact she’d wasted so much time on him.

Him.

Archie.

What was he doing right now? Thinking about how he’d managed to give her a good speech or about how beautiful Veronica Lodge looked in her black dress? The jealousy she felt shouldn't have been present. It felt wrong to be envious of a girl who only had thought the same as she.

Archie was irresistible.

How pitiful she was. Digging her nails into another surface other than her palms, the poor pillow this time, she vowed herself not to feel that jealousy to Veronica again. It was simply childish, hypercritical even. The raven-haired girl had stood up for her, gotten her into the vixens, even let her bring out a side of herself that wasn’t always visible. 

Betty’s eyelids became heavy as she eased more into her mattress. The night’s events had drained her dry of both physical and emotional energy. She had no tears left to cry at this point, and her mind had reeled so much with thoughts that she’d been left wilted, her head going blank.

Swallowing, she turned over onto her back and brought the pillow along with her. Eyes staring back up at the ceiling, she became vaguely aware of how tight her pink dress was fitting. She’d worn this dress specifically for him. A couple months ago, he’d told her that his favorite color on her was pink. Stupidly, she’d taken it as a sign for his apparent adoration for her.

Turning back onto her side, she scoffed at herself.

Pathetic.

━━━ ༻ ❁ ༺ ━━━

“Betty, it’s a shame I let you onto the squad. You can barely do the warm-ups right. You better pay a hefty thanks to the ice princess.” Cheryl sassed, cheer skirt swishing as she moved away from her, heading back towards her brainless minions with such satisfaction from belittling the blonde that it sickened the journalist.

Elizabeth had managed to get through the day, avoiding Archie purposely through the hallways and completely ignoring him in the classes she did have with him. She knew it was unjust for her to treat him this way, especially considering she’d been the one who’d been rejected, not him, but this was the best method to get through the day without shedding tears. It seemed that overnight a new stock of tears had came in, read to overflow at every given moment. 

Even Cheryl’s nitpicks had uncharacteristically gotten to her today. On the usual, she barely paid any mind to Cheryl’s remarks. The redheaded female had constantly teased her since they were small, so the occurrence of her words had become more of a daily occurrence rather than a bother.

As for Veronica Lodge, Betty had pushed herself to speak with her but skipped out on lunch, instead heading for the library to hide out there. They’d exchanged tight-lipped words and flowers of friendship, along with cupcakes that even Betty had to admit tasted like all the wonderful things in the world.

Though Kevin was skeptical, the blonde had forgiven her almost immediately. It hadn’t even that she wanted to exactly, but she wanted to put the entire ordeal behind them.

Just the painful thought of Archie in front of her with an undid tie, heaving as he extended his arms and took a step forwards.. sent her into a world she never wanted to revisit. 

Grabbing her bag from the locker room, she tucked some of her belongings into it with a haste, just wanting to leave the god-forsaken school she was forcing herself to go to. 

Betty slung it around her shoulder, letting out a cool sigh as she rounded the corner, heading down the opposite hallway so she wouldn’t have to run back into Veronica.

As she walked, she tried to stop her mind with running with thoughts. If she kept up with this, she’d end up just like last night and wouldn’t get any of her already overdue homework done. However, despite her efforts, she managed to wrap herself into a whirlwind of memories, and before she knew it, she ran into a warm body.

Hands coming out and pushing against the chest she’d bumped into, she stumbled back and looked back up at the face looking down at her with amusement. Eyebrows narrowing, her eyes recognized the smug face. “Jughead, what the hell? Can’t you just leave me alone?” Without sparing a second glance, she moved past him, walking away with tense muscles.

Jughead seemed surprised by her reaction, but followed after her. Brunette curls bouncing as he took long strides after her, he eventually fell in step with her. “Last time I checked, _you_ ran into _me_. Why are you so pissed anyway? Maybe it has to do with a certain redhead?” His hand came up, taking her tight ponytail into his hand and tugging it down.

Betty stiffened at the mention of Archie and recoiled back with a look of disgust as he pulled on her ponytail. Who the hell did he think he was all of a sudden? They’d barely spoken after his fallout with Archie, and here he was, pulling her ponytail like she was a pet and making fun of her? 

Stopping her movements, she finally turned over to him with flaring emerald eyes. “Jones, you really have a nerve today. If you want to talk about sore subjects, why don’t you explain to me why you’ve become the town’s playboy? It’s actually really disappointing.”

The biker didn’t show as much emotion as she did when he’d spoken about Archie, but the look that flashed over his eyes told her that she’d hit a nerve. He swallowed, the blue eyes that had once been so bright clouded over with a dark depth she didn’t recognize. 

The moment flew by though, and he reached down to pull at her ponytail again. “You’re still such a stick in the mud, jeez. I didn’t come here for you to lower my ego, though. Mind coming to Pops with me?”

“I’m not sleeping with you.”

The clear shock that was on Jughead’s face made Betty regret her words. From his new reputation, it had been the first thing that came to her mind. 

Shaking his head, he adjusted his woven cap and blinked at her, a lazy grin coming onto his face. “Not what I was going for, but good to know. Still the same old Betty. Never gets old, though. Now, let me restate my question. Mind going to Pops with me?”

Betty squinted her eyes at him. Ever since he’d broken it off with Archie, she’d never fully trusted him after that. Maybe it was because she’d always entrusted the redhead’s side of the story like a loyal puppy, but that was beside the point.

Jughead Jones, the once soft-spoken and knowledge boy had turned into the town’s number-one trouble maker and cupid. Why would she want to get mixed up in that? “I haven’t spoken to you since eighth grade. What’s your damage, Jonesy?”

Letting out a sigh, he threw his head back in frustration. “Screw this,” he muttered at nobody in particular, and in one fell swoop, tucked her under his arm and made a run for it out the doors, dragging her along with him. “You’re coming whether you like it or not, ponytail.”

Strangely, she didn’t struggle against him except for uncomfortable squirming and a light push to the chest that hadn’t really been meant to do anything. She knew that Jughead would let go of her the instant she asked him because in that aspect of him— she knew would have never changed. At heart, he was a gentleman, and respected the wishes of others.

Though he’d changed out his denim jacket for a leather one, and his genuine smile had changed into a flirtatious smirk, something about him was still the same Forsythe Pendleton Jones the III. 

That’s why, when he threw her across his shoulder and carried her the way to the diner, she didn’t feel anything other than a single butterfly in her stomach, it’s wings lightly flapping inside and rejoicing in the space it had to itself.

━━━ ༻ ❁ ༺ ━━━

“Drink up. Getting some sugar in you might make you less snappy. Getting you here was a hassle as it was, don’t make sitting with you a living hell too.” Jughead mused, leaning back against the wall of the booth he had plopped them into.

Looking down at the strawberry milkshake he’d ordered her, she picked up the strawberry from the top and quirked an eyebrow at him. “You were the one who insisted that we sit in the same seat.” She motioned to him, who was practically touching her leg with his. Jughead made a big deal about not sitting on the other side and made sure she was right next to him before easing up. Her cheer bag was the only thing separating them.

Rolling his eyes, he threw one fry at her and managed to hit her in the neck. The serpent had ordered a plate of fries and a milkshake for the blonde. If Betty had known this was going to help butter her up, she probably wouldn’t have accepted.. or she probably would have anyway. At this point, what did she have to lose?

Adjusting his jacket, he let his hands fall back to his lap. “Okay, okay, you’ve got me.. but you know who you don’t have? Archie!” The brunette fell into a snicker, curved teeth curling into a boyish smile.

The reaction he’d expected to get was present on her face as she spared a single glance at him, looking back solely at her milkshake. Bringing the straw to her lips, she took a long sip before turning back to the brunette. “If you brought me here specifically to degrade me, I really don’t have the energy for that right now. Why are we even here, Jughead? We’ve barely even looked at each other for an entire year and you just up and brought me here?”

Curling his fingers together, he put them onto the table with a defeated sigh. “You’re a smart cookie, Betts. Look, this is just going to sound ridiculous at first, but hear me out, alright?” He waited until he received a nod from her before continuing. “Just about anyone who goes to Riverdale High knows about your rebuff with carrots. Likewise, I found out about it and decided it would be my place to comfort you.”

The blonde turned her gaze towards him, a scowl present on her face as she narrowed her eyes to slits. “That is definitely not the reason why you treated me to a milkshake. Does your tongue know anything but lies?”

Winking at her, Jughead licked his lips. “Sure does.”

Betty felt a crimson shade coming to her cheeks as she turned away, trying to stifle it as she turned her head the opposite way. “Pervert..”

“..okay, but seriously. You didn’t let me finish. At first, it had started off as that. Then, after a minute of thinking about it, I thought of the perfect win-win situation for both of us. Now, I’m going to tell you but you can’t freak out,” his voice was calm and collected as he paused to catch his breath, but then his voice broke out into a quick proposal. “You and I— we pretend like we’re a click. What’s in it for me? Why, revenge on my favorite copperhead. Stealing you would break his little heart. You, ponytail, will be getting the best of all.. a revenge of your own. Getting into a relationship with his arch enemy. Arch? Get it?”

Betty’s face was a mixture of disgust and if he had read it right, a moment’s worth of satisfaction. “First of all, please don’t ever become a comedian. Second of all, this is the most cliche idea I’ve ever heard. Did you think of this while watching a teenage rom-com? It’s so absurd it might just work.”

He didn’t know what he was expecting for her response, but it wasn’t that. Though, despite his inner thoughts, she technically hadn’t dismissed the idea permanently. “My dad wants my record to improve. You being my play-girlfriend will make it look like you’re setting me straight. For you, this would be the juiciest revenge plot line that you’ll ever find.”

Elizabeth’s gaze was still skeptical, still in disbelief that he’d dropped this all onto her in the last twenty seconds as if it was nothing. “What the hell, sure. I have nothing better to do with my life anyway. Deal, but no strings attached, alright? There’s no guarantee this will even work.” 

Getting excited, he looked like a puppy being given a treat. “100% guarantee this will work, Madam Cooper! I didn’t even think you’d say yes, this is a shock as it is. Alright, Betts, this is going to be the best fake-relationship you’ll ever have!” Smirking devilishly, he scooped her up into his arms, bringing her to sit onto his lap with little effort.

The sudden shift in her position left her startled, looking down at their joined bodies and then back up to him with a blush she could no longer hide. Her face was written with the word embarrassment a hundred times over. The public affection he was showing already, not a minute into their relationship was strangely.. exhilarating. 

Pushing away the thought, she was about to pull away when his hands rubbed over her thighs. “Going so soon? If we’re going to do this, you need to get comfortable with me, Betts.” He whispered, his voice low so that only her ears could pick up the sound.

Betty tensed at the teasing hands, but made no move to push them away. Instead, she silently enjoyed the soft rub of his fingers against the bare flesh that’d been left uncovered by her skirt. Blinking, she unconsciously moved her hands to his shoulders. After a couple seconds, she was able to get her bearings again. “If you go any higher or do anything else, I’m throwing you across the diner.” She threatened, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

If he could, he would have put two hands up in surrender. “Whatever you say is the law, Cooper,” He teased, his hands continuing the gentle patterns along the pale skin. Weirdly enough, the movement felt more intimate than suggestive. “Target A just walked through the door.”

Fighting the urge to turn around, Betty’s eyes widened and she stood still for a second in his grasp, a sudden feeling of guilt and subconsciousness invading her. “You’re joking.” For whatever reason, she was choking up. Now that she was really thinking of all that they were doing, she could feel herself begin to doubt their earlier agreement. “I-”

Silencing her by lifting up one of his fingers to press against her lips, he shook his head. Leaning closer, he went to nibble on her neck, softly bitting against the pale skin of her neck. Jughead knew that Archie was watching, and he also knew that Betty could feel his eyes burning into her back. 

The redheaded bulldog wasn’t alone, though. He was accompanied by his fellow comrades, which happened to be Moose and Reggie.The bulldogs looked on, the three of them in shock at what they were seeing with their own pairs of eyes. Never before had they thought that the perfect-girl-next-door would get involved with the notorious serpent prince. 

In any other instance, Betty probably would have slapped him for his unexpected love bites, but the light nibbling was more comforting that she had initially thought, and she found herself leaning into the feel of his teeth. The hair of her neck stood up as she felt the pairs of eyes on them. 

Jughead felt a flick of satisfaction as he side-eyed Archie, watching him clench his jaw and his left hand curl into a fist at his side. Smirk playing on his lips, he winked to the redheaded football player, which only served to make the other boy angrier. Archie tilted his head towards a booth on the opposite side of the diner, yanking his friends in the direction. He couldn’t hear them exactly, but he could hear bits and pieces.

Jughead pulled away lightly from her neck, sucking in a breath as he looked back at the blonde on top of him. Pushing back a piece of her hair to tuck behind her ear, he bit his lower lip and leaned close to her ear, whispering huskily. “Good girl. Let’s get out of here, the deed is done.” 

Betty could feel his hot breath run against her ear. Before, she never understood why so many girls had been so entranced with Jughead. Now, it was finally starting to come to her. Over the years, and maybe a visit of puberty, his jaw had become chiseled, and his body leaner. 

His aurora had changed too, which had become an intoxicating cycle of anticipation. Snapping out of her haze, she nodded, slipping herself from his grasp and standing next to the booth. Grasping at her common sense, she picked up her discarded cheer bag and slung it back over her shoulder.

He followed after her, laying down fifteen dollars down on the table. His hand dipped down, taking Betty’s hand into his own and squeezing lightly. Even at the small movement, she felt her cheeks heat up. Allowing herself to be taken out of the diner, her eye momentally caught Archie’s as she exited. 

The look of jealousy defined in his eyes sent a thrill through her.

Once the cold, brisk air hit her and they started to head back towards the Cooper residence, she tore her hand away from his. Tucking it to her side, she took a step away from him and pursed her lips. “Ever heard of personal space?”

The biker’s face flashed with rejection as she pulled away, but she was sure she imagined it by the way his features became frisky again. “How could I? Especially when you glow so lovely in the moonlight.” His voice seemed poetic, almost as if he was making fun of her. 

Sending another one of her scowls his way, she walked faster. “This is beyond embarrassing. Do you know self control? Archie must think-”

Interrupting her, Jughead nudged her as he quickened his pace alongside hers. “Thinking about how we clash together so perfectly in a way that he could never clash with you?” The words that left his mouth shouldn’t have. It was exactly what he was thinking— but he hadn’t even meant to say it. Deeply, he hoped she’d mistaken it as another one of his useless jokes. To soften the blow, he tugged at her ponytail again.

For once, she hadn’t lashed out at him for playing with her ponytail. After only another moment, Betty stayed silent before letting out a small laugh. “I have to give you that one. Black and pink look better than red and pink.” 

Her laugh.

She’d laughed for him.

Suddenly, he felt the jealousy biting his own heart. _All_ these years Archie was able to experience that angelic laugh at the expense of just his existence? 

_All_ this time Jughead had never spoken to her, yet the sound of her laugh brought back memories he wished he could relive.

“Yeah. You’re right. Black will always look better with pink.”

━━━ ༻ ❁ ༺ ━━━

She’d learned Jughead’s favorite lollipop flavor was cherry. She also learned that he loved rainy days, but loved his typewriter even more. Betty had found out, or rather relearned, that his favorite color was a dark navy blue and that his most prized possession was an old trophy he’d won at a baseball tournament when he was small.

Betty had learned the person who Jughead was now was still the same as before, just wired a little differently. 

Jughead had insisted persistently that it was crucial that they spend the last two weeks together, meeting in the evenings to do whatever the biker had planned. Her curfew that her mother emplaced had been strict, but the brunette always found a way to get her home by the T. 

At first, it had started as a bit of a chore, but soon, but Sunday afternoon, she felt her heart beating faster than normal as she plopped onto her bed after their usual meetings.

Clutching the red lollipop he’d given to her, she held it to her chest and rested it there. The last time she’d spent so much time looking up at her ceiling, sprawled out on her back was when she was ripping out a bit of her soul after she suffered the rejection the Riverdale’s golden boy.

This time, though, her heart wasn’t ripped in two. It was full, almost up to the brink, begging to be let out. The feeling was rather foreign. With Archie, she hadn’t returned to her house so full of life as much as she had right now. Curling in on herself, she snapped her eyes shut. What was Jughead Jones doing to her?

━━━ ༻ ❁ ༺ ━━━

On Monday, they’d mutually agreed that their relationship was to be made public. It would mark two weeks. As of the week before, the only people that could have known were Archie, Moose, and Reggie. Knowing them, Reggie and Moose had probably blabbed to anyone that would listen, but certainly nobody would believe them without proof. Two people who had barely known of each other’s existence had been canoodling at Pops Diner?

Save that one for a fool.

Blonde ponytail swishing as she closed her locker, she tucked her history books back into it and instead retrieved her math binder for her next period. As she began to turn around, though, her exit was blocked by a leather-clad serpent. The familiar scent of morning cologne and dark-brew coffee filled her senses, setting her at ease. After being with him so frequently, she’d memorized a couple unique features about him. 

Looking back up, she swallowed and shook her head, giggling a little. The act, strangely enough, hadn’t been an act at all. It seemed that all she was able to do these last of days _was_ giggle around him. Jughead’s locks were falling over his eyes, eyes blinking down at her with a delight that Betty thought he faked so incredibly well. 

With either hand on either side of her, he had trapped her in front of him without a way to escape. Again, the moment didn’t feel threatening. If anything, his close proximity brought a strange feeling of warmth to her chest. Throughout the last two weeks, their once uncomfortable energy had become one of illumination, thrilling her in any way it could muster.

Veronica Lodge snapped her from her thoughts when she appeared next to them, her maroon-painted lips making a perfect ‘o.’ She’d never seen the latina so shocked. Pearls moving across her collarbone, she suddenly erupted a joyful smile. “No way! B! How have you not told me about this?” She exclaimed, breaking through Jughead and taking ahold of Betty’s arm, bringing her close.

Jughead watched with amusement as the blonde laughed it off, shrugging her shoulders as if it’d been nothing in particular. “I guess that.. after some time of not being the closest, something rekindled.” Usually, Betty handpicked her words when she had to impersonate or act as another person.

These words came straight out of her mouth, coming from her heart as if it was something she’d been reciting a thousand times. Yet, she hadn’t recited it a single time. When she felt Jughead’s warm arm wrapping around her shoulder like a protective blanket, her shoulders set at ease without her knowledge. 

Squealing, Veronica turned her gaze to Jughead with a look of slight venom. “If you dare hurt my B, you’ll pay a hefty price, serpent prince.” 

Jughead looked unsatisfied by her reaction. “Are you going to tell daddy on me?” The serpent muttered, but it went unnoticed by the ice princess. One thing that did not slip past unnoticed was Archie Andrews himself, who had attempted to slide through the crowd of students without anyone noticing him.

His efforts failed miserably as Veronica grabbed him the arm, lightly but firmly taking him towards the small group they had formed. With a beam, she kept a hand on his arm and instead motioned her other towards the linked couple in front of them.

“You won’t believe it, Archikins! Look how adorable these two are. I swear on my grandmother’s pearls they’re the cutest to walk this school’s floors.” She stated it as if it was a fact, her white teeth practically sparkling.

Swallowing back his pride, Archie nodded slowly and his face twisted into a tight-lipped smile. “Wow, you guys look.. great. Glad to know you two finally, uh, found each other.” 

If Veronica had seen the way his body tensed, she pretended not to notice. 

Jughead bent down, chuckling as he did so and pressed a kiss to Betty’s forehead, another hand coming to pull at her confined air. The feel of his lips against her skin.. 

Before, a single butterfly had been flapping around inside her stomach, lonely in it’s wake. Now, countless butterflies flew around noisily, beating against her chest and almost setting her alight. 

Betty Cooper had been too wrapped up in the soft feel of his lips against her that she didn’t pay attention to Archie’s resentful stare.

━━━ ༻ ❁ ༺ ━━━

“Archie talk to you any? You know, besides that entire encounter we had?” Jughead had taken it upon himself to find them a private place in the courtyard so they could eat, deciding on a small table under one of the many willow trees surrounding the area.

Dropping an orange slice into her mouth, she thought back to her earlier memories. The worst part about doing so was the guilty realization that she hadn’t really been worried if Archie was paying attention to her or not. Lately, her thoughts had been invaded with things that.. didn’t exactly pertain to Archie Andrews.

It’d been a week since they’d officially come out as a couple, while it also meant it had been about a week since Archie had officially found out of their affairs. 

Shaking her head after a moment, she dropped another slice into her mouth. “Not at all. Never since our scandalous fiasco, I haven’t heard a peep from him besides our small moments of seeing each other, like yesterday.” She explained, finishing off her orange and chucking the orange peal into the trashcan.

Yesterday, as both Jughead and her laughed about, had been quite the scene. The biker had sat with her and her friends at their lunch table, a change from usually being seated with the serpents. Jughead had his hand on her thigh the entire time, casually running circles on it as if it was nothing. 

Archie hadn’t exactly liked it too much. 

Laughing, Jughead took a long sip of his water bottle and then spoke. “If he hasn’t been saying anything to you, he’s been to me. He suddenly grows a dick when he’s in the locker room, I’ll tell ya.”

Eyes bulging in surprise, she perked up. “Say what now?”

He spoke casually. “Sometimes he’ll just randomly throw an insult at me or even corner me against one of the lockets. Super scary. He does _not_ want me to be your boyfriend, that’s for sure.” Jughead said it so calmly it almost annoyed the other blonde.

“Jones.. you’re too much for this world..” Betty exhaled, taking a emphasized bite of her sandwich as she said so. Though she was teasing him, her words were true. Sometimes, she wondered what exactly she had done for Jughead to ask her to Pops that day. 

Other times, she wondered what she would be doing without that invitation.

“You totally love it.”

“Shut up.”

“Am I wrong?”

“Juggie, are you going to finish those carrots?”

The tips of his ears burned red from her nickname. Even though she called him that as kids, for some reason the nickname made his heart flutter.

“Whatever, you can have them. I _was_ going to eat them, but since I’m a nice boyfriend, you can have them.” He threw the bag to her, which she surprisingly caught.

She didn’t bother correct him when he said boyfriend instead of fake-boyfriend.

━━━ ༻ ❁ ༺ ━━━

Sitting on the bleachers, Betty had her head on Jughead’s shoulder. Today was one of their first home games, which also meant that this was one of her first performances as one of the Riverdale Vixens. 

The brunette could feel the blonde slightly shivering, her body shaking a little against his. He knew she’d never actually say anything to him about it, but Jughead knew that she was freezing in her cheer outfit. Gently pulling away from her, he shrugged off his leather jacket and put it around her shoulders.

He didn’t say anything then, the silence shared between them a mutual understanding. Pulling it around her shoulders gratefully, she inhaled the leather scent that was specifically Jughead’s. Before, she might’ve been frightened to wear a serpent jacket, but next to Jughead, she didn’t have a worry in the world. 

It had been four weeks since they’d started their deal, and technically, they’d gotten exactly what they wanted. Archie’s jealousy, gotten enough rises out of him that he’d been a moment’s away from confessing to Betty Cooper. Unknown to the blonde, the serpent prince had purposely stepped in every time before it could happen.

Jughead knew he was selfish. The entire reason for his existence in her life had been to get the football player back into it. So then why did he force himself to make it impossible? Why did he feel obligated to keep Betty as rightfully.. his?

The vixens would have to start getting ready for the game soon, he knew. The fleeting moment of comfortable silence would pass, and with that, it would mean that they’d have to come to a conclusion.

He didn’t want to.. because he knew the answer.

Veronica came bounding out of the tunnel below, calling Betty’s name with two hands cupped around her mouth. Betty’s mouth opened to respond, but he didn’t exactly hear what she was saying. Instead, he was too entranced in the way her blonde hair swished around her shoulders. Today, in honor of the big game, she’d decided to let it run free.

..and if that didn’t make her look like an angel, he didn’t know what did.

Betty rubbed his shoulder, bringing him back to the present reality. “I’m going to go and change and then the big game starts,” the loud wails of the crowd interrupted her as the football teams started to show up, breaking through ribbons with their gear and looking like knights ready to banish the darkness back to it’s wells. “I’ll, uh, see you after the game.”

The once dimly illuminated stadium became bountiful with color, making Betty’s face shine even brighter than how it usually did. No matter, the glow she had was always permanent, no matter what she did. Nodding, he smiled lightly. “You’re gonna be the best one there.” His eyes darted from her lips to her eyes, the emeralds that had once stared at him so skeptically filled with a foreign emotion he couldn’t recognize. 

Swallowing again, his eyes then rested on her lips. He could feel her eyes too. He instinctively leaned a little closer. If she’d said something, he hadn’t heard it over the bright and joyful cheers of the fans in the stadium, cheering on the two football teams. Taking one final chance, he leaned in, closing the distance between them and enveloping her lips into his.

Jughead had expected her to pull away— truly, he had. He had even expected her to maybe stiffen, but what he certainly hadn’t expected was for her to relax against him, their lips moving into a gentle rhythm along with the loud music that had begun to play around them. It rang in his ears, deafening him, but he didn’t mind. All he knew was Betty, Betty Cooper, the blonde-haired journalist that he had.. started to fall in love with after a short amount of time.

Their kiss was pure, her lips smooth as honey on bread. Their movements were in unison. Their lips molded against each other wonderfully. Their hearts created a mutual pulse.

Pulling away only to catch his breath, his eyes found hers and they shared a long moment of understanding. Letting out a deep breath, he brought his hand towards her jaw and brought her close, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. His lips stayed there for a moment. “If you ever have anymore boy trouble, let me be the first one you talk to, alright Betts?”

Betty’s heart pounded rapidly, her cheeks burning and her entire body becoming a flame, burning through her heart and searing into her mind. She was at a loss for words, but she wasn’t confused by his words. This was a final parting. “Jug..”

Jughead Jones was never meant to be with someone so angelic, so unworthy for the world. He wasn’t, and never would be. Now, he was finally able to accept the truth he’d pushed away so many times. So many times he’d stuffed it down. So many times he shriveled it up and threw it. _So many times he’d pushed it away so he’d no longer hear the voice in his mind repeating over and over again.._

Pulling away, his lips formed into a small smile, the clouds in his eyes clearing. There, deep within his orbs, she could see the bright blue shining through. “If Archie breaks your heart again, I’m breaking his neck,” He chuckled then, looking at the field where the players had started to gather into a huddle, the coach shouting out orders. “Lucky bastard. He really is the luckiest boy in this whole damn town.”

Turning back towards his blonde angel, the corners of his lips tilted up a little bit more. “I’ll see you around.” Reaching around, he gave one last playful tug to her ponytail, laughing to himself a little as he gathered himself up and hopped down the bleachers. Taking a lollipop from his pocket, he unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth, heading towards the exit.

Betty watched him go with a parted mouth and glossy eyes, one hand bringing the serpent jacket closer to her body. She didn’t know why he’d left it with her, but one thing she did know was that the journalist wouldn’t give it back unless he asked. 

The butterflies that had danced in her stomach so cheerfully dulled, painfully protesting at her heart. Ripping it to pieces in their displeasure. Tearing at it from the sides. Jerking it any way they willed.

She should have known from when they had started.

Butterflies had never been meant to live long.


End file.
